Notices by Richard Stallman (rms@mastodon.xyz)

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/28/how-do-i-navigate-the-fear-and-anger-of-this-political-moment

On living in a world of increasing disaster: * the point isn’t just to feel better necessarily, but to feel in ways that allow us to show up in the moments that matter most.*

https://act.350.org/sign/jun-25-em-petition-us-jpmorganchase/?r=US&c=NA

US citizens: call on JPMorgan Chase to stop bankrolling fossil fuel exploration in the Amazon.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/17/minnesota-lawmaker-killings-misinformation-rightwing

Right-wing disinformationists spread lots of lies about the shooting of two Democratic elected officials in Minnesota. This illustrates their practice of disrespect for truth. Even if on some occasion their statements accord with facts, giving them support enhances the power of the lie.

[2/2] giant.* The specific remedy we need is to break apart the different activities of UnitedHealth, and also splitting the insurance part into 10 competing sub-companies which are forbidden to merge. But what we really need is to replace private medical insurance entirely with a national medical system. Of course, Republicans won't do any of this. Biden made moves in that direction, but there were too few Democrats in Congress and they were not progressive enough.

[1/2] https://stallman.org/glossary.html#united-hellth
https://stallman.org/glossary.html#united-hellth
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/21/unitedhealth-nursing-homes-payments-hospital-transfers
https://stallman.org/glossary.html#united-hellth

Corruption by UnitedHealth: * secret bonuses have been paid out as part of a UnitedHealth program that stations the company’s own medical teams in nursing homes and pushes them to cut care expenses for residents covered by the insurance

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/cheap-jail-and-prison-food-is-making-people-sick?nowrapper=true

US citizens: call on prisons in the US to give prisoners safe food.

[2/2] nonfree software in the phone's radio processor.) By contrast with that, the increased price caused by insufficient competition is a superficial issue. It is, nonetheless, bad to decrease the competition.

[1/2] https://act.freepress.net/go/30931?t=1002&akid=40218%2E9489429%2E__GMB8

US citizens: call on the FCC to block the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint. There is far too little competition among phone radio networks already. Any decrease is clearly bad. Of course, there are more important problems with mobile phones. For instance, both cellular and WiFi connections track the phone's location, and the phone can be made to listen and transmit all the time. (That last is a consequence of

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/postmaster-general?nowrapper=true

US citizens: call on the USPS board of governors not to appoint a postmaster general who has a conflict of interest - being on the board of FEDEX.

https://actionnetwork.org/forms/stop-the-55-trillion-billionaire-tax-scam-no-cuts-to-medicaid-or-medicare?nowrapper=true&referrer=&source=email-stop-trumps-illegal-usps-takeover-tell-the-postal-board-of-governors-to-stand-strong-3

US citizens: call on the Senate to preserve the authority of federal courts over uncnstitutional or illegal executive actions, by defeating the No Rogue Rulings act. If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121

[5/5] terrorist group fights. The last criterion, "support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence", could be a legitimate basis for objection provided the interpretation of that criterion scrupulously follows the First Amendment and does not misconstrue condemnation of Israel's war crimes as "antisemitism". But since officials are often frequently does misconstrue that, we have to expect this criterion to be wrongly enforced.

[3/5] find the government disgusting while billionaires have control of it and rig elections. * You might condemn institutions such as churches that preach hatred or repression. * You might abhor founding principles such as slavery and the disenfranchisement of blacks, women, and poor men. Note that these criteria are all vague, leaving a broad range of possible places to draw the line of what is forbidden. If these lines are drawn in the strictest and harshest place - which recent events

[4/5] must lead us to expect - they will be unconstitutional, if the First Amendment applies to what would-be students have said outside the US. But does it? What about the next criterion: "advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to US national security"? Rejecting anyone who directly helps a terrorist group is legitimate; indeed such help would be a crime. But "aid or support" could be construed to include peacefully supporting the cause for which some

[2/5] institutions, or founding principles of the United States." That would include a wide range of opinions that are protected by the First Amendment. * You might feel hostility towards US citizens who are bigots, or who own companies that exploit their workers. * You might well dislike various aspect of US culture. I strongly dislike rap and blues, for instance, and weddings that are fancy and formal. I also dislike the sound of the accents of certain groups of Americans. * You might

[1/5] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/18/social-media-student-visa-screening
https://stallman.org/archives/2025-mar-jun.html#12_May_2025_(Antisemitism)
https://stallman.org/archives/2024-jan-apr.html#8_March_2024_(Antisemitism,_the_original_definition)

The maga regime intends to judge foreign student applications based on the students' opinions of various things about the US. One requirement forbids "Any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government,

[2/2] of drugs. To allow drug companies to fund the tests for approval of a drug is an invitation to corruption.

[1/2] https://www.levernews.com/drugmakers-secret-weapon-to-keep-your-meds-overpriced/
https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/law/students/publications/llj/pdfs/45_1_stallman.pdf
https://stallman.org/archives/2012-may-aug.html#7_July_2012_(US_Law)

There is a push to repeal the law that allows extensions of patents that block the manufacture of important generic medicines. I've argued that patents should not be allowed on medicines at all. There are other ways to fund the development and testing

https://civicshout.com/p/tell-congress-to-stop-trump-s-logging-expansion

US citizens: call on Congress to block the saboteur in chief's logging expansion. If you phone, please spread the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aba-trump-law-firms_n_68506313e4b0534654df30d2?ncid=NEWSSTAND0001
https://stallman.org/glossary.html#bully

The American Bar Association has sued to overturn the bully's persecution of law firms that worked for his adversaries.

[2/2] the word! Main Switchboard: +1-202-224-3121